Chapter 1

Basic of Physico-Chemical
Waste Water Treatment
1.1- Introduction to Physico-Chemical wastewater treatment
1.2- Unit operation and unit process
1.3- Physical and chemicals characteristics of wastewater
1.4- Microbiological characteristics of wastewater

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 COURSE OUTCOME

• CO1 - APPLY THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROCESSES TO

SOLVE PROBLEM IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT (C3).
• CO2 - EVALUATE THE COMPLEX ENGINEERING PROBLEMS IN WASTEWATER
TREATMENT USING THE PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROCESSES (C5).
• CO3 - PROPOSE DESIGN SOLUTIONS TO THE COMPLEX ENGINEERING
PROBLEMS USING THE PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROCESSES (C6).
1.1 Introduction to Physico –chemical wastewater
treatment
Raw Water: natural water found in the
environment, such as rainwater,
ground water, and water from bodies
like lakes and rivers.
Wastewater : spent water after homes,
commercial establishments, industries,
public institutions. (spent/used water that become
waste)

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1.2 Unit Operation and unit
processes
Unit Operation involves only the methods in which
physical forces predominates.
e.g: sedimentation

Unit process includes all the treatment methods in

which the removal of contaminants is brought
about by chemical or biological reactions.
e.g : coagulation and biological oxidation

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 Physical-chemical Treatment
Physical-Chemical
Treatment:
A process applied to
water and wastewater in
which chemical changes
may or may not occur.

Physical Treatment
Process applied to water and wastewater
in which no chemical changes occur.
Examples :
 Sedimentation (Clarification)
 Screening
 Aeration
 Filtration
 Flotation and Skimming
 Degasification
 Equalization 5
 Physical-chemical Treatment

Chemical Treatment
• Process applied to water and
wastewater in which chemical
changes occur.
• Examples:
 Chlorination
 Ozonation
 Neutralization
 Coagulation
 Adsorption
 Ion Exchange

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Level of wastewater treatment
• A combination of unit operation and
unit process are form various levels of
treatment. There are known as
pretreatment, primary, secondary and
tertiary treatments.

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 Pretreatment Secondary Tertiary

Secondary

Primary
- Removal of WW
constituent e.g rags, grit,
grease etc. with treatment
operation and processes
Primary
- Removal of portion SS
and organic matter from
WW.
Advanced primary
Enhanced removal of SS
and Organic matter.
Accomplish by chemical
addition/ filtration.
Tertiary
- Removal of - Removal of residual SS
biodegradable organic after Secondary treatment
matter by granular filtration or
Secondary with nutrient microscreen
removal Advanced Tertiary
- Removal of - Removal of DS and
biodegradable organic suspended material after
matter, SS and nutrient normal biological
treatment

Notes: WW (wastewater)
SS (Suspended solid) – Organic, Inorganic
DS (Dissolve solid)

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Classification of wastewater treatments
Processes

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Overview of water treatment
process

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 Overview of wastewater
treatment process

Please view Youtube: ‘wastewater treatment plant tour- ‘Flush to finish’ for more understanding on WW treatment
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Classification and size range of
particle found in wastewater

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 Question to Ponder
Wastewater
nutrients Biodegradable
Where does it come
organic
Contaminants… from….
How does it affect
the living things/
Suspended Refractory Env….
solids organics

Heavy Dissolve

metal
inorganics solid

Pathogens

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 4 categories to describe water
quality
Physical
 Related to the quality of water for domestic use.
 Associated with the appearance of water
 Eg. Color, turbidity, temperature, taste and odor.
Chemical
 Sometimes evidenced by their observed reactions (comparative
performance of hard & soft waters in laundering)
 Most often, differences are not visible.
Microbiology
 Very important in their relation to public health
 Significant in modifying the physical and chemical characteristic of
water
Radiological
 Considered in areas where there is a possibility that the water may
have come in contact with radioactive substances
Vicky Inderan (JSG),Nur Alwani 14
Ali Bashah (FKK) UiTM, Penang
Physical Characteristic

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1.3 PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
The most important characteristic of
wastewater
Composed of floating matter, settleable
matter, colloidal matter and matter in solution.
Solids found in wastewater;
Total solids (TS)
Mass remain after evaporation at 103-105oC
Solid Total Suspended Solid (TSS)

Mass remain on whatman filter GF/C after

Solids removed by
settling and separated
from wash water are
called sludge, which
may then be pumped
to drying beds or
filtered for extraction
of additional water
(dewatering).
(Metcalf and Eddy, 2003)
drying at 103-105oC
Volatile Suspended Solid (VSS)
Solids that can be volatilized and burned off
when TSS are ignited at 500+50oC. (applied
most commonly to wastewater sludge to
measure their biological stability)
Total dissolved solids (TDS)
Those solids that pass through the filter and
are then evaporated and dried at specified
temp.
Settleable Solids
Solid settle at the bottom of an “Imhoff
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Cone” after 60mins
Continue….

Measure of the light –transmitting properties of the

water due to presence of suspended material such
as clay, organic material, plankton & other
particulate material.

Measured based on comparison of the intensity of

light scattered by reference suspension under the
same condition.

Unit = Turbidity Unit (TU)@

Turbidity
Nephlometric Turbidity Unit (NTU)

Clay @ other suspended particle – not adversely

affect health but water containing such particles
may require treatment.

Turbidity excess of 5 NTU easily detectable in a

glass of water.

(Davis and Cornwell,2008)

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Continue….

Refer to degree of absorption of light energy in

visible spectrum (400-700nm)
Causes by ;
• dissolved organic material from decaying
vegetation & certain inorganic matter.
• excessive blooms of algae or growth of
aquatic microorganisms.
Colour But its presence is aesthetically objectionable
& needs appropriate treatment.

Activated sludge and trickling filters can

remove a certain percentage of some types of
colored matter.

Sometimes color matters needs chemical

oxidation procedures for removal.
(Davis and Cornwell,2008)
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Continue….

Cause by foreign matter (organic

compound, inorganic salts @ dissolved
gases.

Odors are usually caused by gases

produced by the decomposition of
organic matter or by substances added
Taste to the wastewater.
&
Odor Industrial wastewater may contain
either odorous compounds or
compounds that produce odor during
the process of wastewater treatment.

Comes from domestic, agricultural @

natural sources.

At point of use, drinking water should

be free from any objectionable taste @
(Davis and Cornwell,2008) odor.
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Continue….
Very important parameter - its effect on chemical
reactions and reaction rates, aquatic life, and the
suitability of the water for beneficial uses.

The increase in the rate of biochemical reactions that

accompanies an increase in temperature, combined with
the decrease in the quantity of oxygen present in surface
waters, can often cause serious depletions in dissolved
oxygen concentration in the summer months.

Abnormally high temperatures can foster the growth of

Temperature undesirable water plants and wastewater fungus

Most desirable drinking waters are consistently cool &

do not have fluctuations of more than a few degrees.

Oxygen is less soluble in warm water than in cold water

Industrial establishments that use surface water for

cooling-water purposes are particularly concerned with
the temperature of the intake water.

Groundwater & surface water usually meet these

criteria.
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(Metcalf and Eddy, 2003)
Chemical Characteristic

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1.3 CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS
The hydrogen-ion concentration is an
important quality parameter of
wastewater.

The concentration range suitable for

the existence of most biological life is
quite narrow and critical.
pH

Wastewater with an adverse

concentration of hydrogen ion is
difficult to treat by biological means,
and if the concentration is not altered
before discharge, the wastewater
effluent may alter the concentration in
the natural waters.
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(Metcalf and Eddy, 2003)
Continue….

Most of water contain.

Amount presence causes by ;
-Leaching of marine sedimentary deposits
-Pollution from sea water @ brine @ industrial @
CHLORIDE domestic waste.
Chloride conc. > 250 mg/L – noticeable taste
Domestic water should contain < 100 mg/L
chloride.

Some areas – water source contain natural

fluoride.
Excessive fluoride in drinking water – produce
fluorosis (mottling) of teeth.
FLUORIDE Mottled – black sports @ streaks and may become
brittle when exposed to large amounts of fluoride.
Acceptable level for fluoride conc. between 0.8 –
1.3 mg/L

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 Because nitrogen is an essential building block in the
synthesis of protein, nitrogen data will be required to
evaluate the treatability of wastewater by biological
processes.

Insufficient nitrogen can necessitate the addition of

nitrogen to make the wastewater treatable.

Nitrogen Where control of alga growth in the receiving water is

necessary to protect beneficial uses, removal or
reduction of nitrogen in wastewaters prior to discharge
may be desirable.

The total nitrogen, as a commonly used parameter,

consists of many numerous compounds such as; NH3,
NH4-N, NO3-N, NO2-N, urea, organic-N (amines, amino
acids, ...etc).

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 Phosphorus is also essential to the growth of
algae and other biological organisms.
Phosphorus The organically bound phosphorus is an
important constituent of industrial wastewater
and sludge.

Sulfate is reduced biologically under anaerobic

conditions to sulfide, which in turn can combine
with hydrogen to form hydrogen sulfide (H2S).
Sulfate
The accumulated H2S can then be oxidized
biologically to sulfuric acid, which is corrosive to
steel pipes and equipment.

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 Common gases found in untreated WW N 2, O2, CO2
(Surface of WW contact with Atmosphere)

Dissolve O2 is required for respiration of aerobic

microorganism. Oxygen O2 is only slightly soluble in water.
Factors that affect the presence of O2 in water are (1)
the solubility of gas (2) the partial pressure of gas (3) the
temperature (4) the concentration of impurities in water
Gases (e.g salinity, suspended solid)

Common gases found after decomposition of organic

material such as: H2S, NH3, CH4 (these gases have major
concern to worker safety and health)

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Continue….

Major clases ;
a) Nitrates (NO3) -
b) Cyanides (CN)
TOXIC c) Heavy metals constituents;
INORGANIC – arsenics (As), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd),
SUBSTANCES chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg),
selenium (Se), and silver (Ag)
- effects – cause poisons ( As and Cr 6+)
- chronic disease (Pb, Cd, and Hg)

There are over 120 toxic organic compounds

TOXIC listed on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s
ORGANIC Priority Pollutant List.
SUBSTANCES Eg; pesticide, insecticides and solvents.
Effects may be acute @chronic.

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Continue….

MEASUREMENT OF ORGANIC
SUBSTANCES
The analysis used to measure aggregate organic material may
be divided into 2;
To measure gross conc. of organic substance greater than
1.0 mg/L
To measure trace conc. in the range of 10-12 to 100 mg/L

Laboratory methods commonly used today to measure gross

amounts of organic matter (typically greater than 1mg/L) in
wastewater include;
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
Chemical oxygen demand (COD)
Total organic carbon (TOC)

Complementing of these laboratory tests is the theoretical

oxygen demand (ThOD), which is determined from the chemical
formula of the organic matter.

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Continue….
Biochemical Oxygen Demand(BOD)
The most widely used parameter of organic pollution

5-day BOD – involved the measurement of the dissolved oxygen

used by microorganisms in the biochemical oxidation of organic
matter.

BOD test results are used to;

Determine the appropriate quantity of oxygen that will be
required to biologically stabilize the organic matter present.
Measure the efficiency of some treatment process
Determine the size of waste treatment facilities.
Determine compliance with wastewater discharge permits.

BOD at 20oC for 5 days is used as standard test (measure after 5

days in incubation at 20oC).

Use bacteria to oxidize biodegradable organic in wastewater

sample after incubation.

BOD can be calculates by measuring DO before & after incubation.

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The limitations of the BOD5 test are
as follows:
A high concentration of active, acclimated seed
bacteria is required.

Pretreatment is needed when dealing with toxic

wastes, and the effects of nitrifying organisms must be
reduced.

Only the biodegradable organics are measured.

The test does not have stoichiometric validity after

the soluble organic matter present in solution has been
used.

An arbitrary, long period of time is required to obtain

results.

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 Chemical Oxygen Demand(COD)
To measure degree of oxidation/ degradation of
organics using strong chemical agent (dichromate
in an acid solution).

measure the organic matter in industrial

wastewater that contains compounds that are toxic
to biological life.

It oxidizes the reduced compounds in wastewater

through a reaction with a mixture of chromic and
sulfuric acid at high temperatures.

2−
(C a H b Oc ) + Cr2 0 7 + H + ⇒ Cr 3+ + CO2 + H 2 O
(+3)
(+6)
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Measure difference of amount of K2Cr2O7 before
and after heating using ferrous ammonium sulfate
(FAS) as a reducing agent.
Higher than BOD (because more compounds can
be chemically oxidized than can be biologically
oxidized)
Ratio BOD/COD varies (usually 1.5: 2 for industrial
wastewater containing biodegradable material
(e.g. Food Industry).
For wastewaters with ratios higher than 3, it is
assumed that some oxidizable material in the
sample is not biodegradable.
Nonbiodegradable material sometimes is called
refractory and found mainly in wastewater from
chemical and pulp & paper industries.
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Differences Between Biochemical Oxygen
Demand and Chemical Oxygen
Demand(COD)

BOD COD
Measures biodegradable Measures biodegradable
organics and non biodegradable
organics
Uses oxidizing Uses a strong chemical
microorganism agent
Affected by toxic Not affected
substance
Affected by temperature Not affected
5 days incubation 2 hrs
Accuracy + 10% Accuracy + 2%
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 Total Organic Carbon(TOC)
To determine total organic carbon in an aqueous
sample.
The test methods for TOC utilize heat & oxygen, ultraviolet
radiation, chemical oxidants, or some combination of these
methods to convert organic carbon to carbon dioxide
which is measured with an infrared analyzer or by other
means.
TOC can be used as a measure of its pollution
characteristics and in some cases, it has been possible to
relate TOC to BOD and COD values.

Theoretical Oxygen Demand (ThOD)

Determined based on ‘chemical formula’ of specific
organic substances.
Consider ‘biochemical & nitrogenous oxygen’ demand

(Metcalf and Eddy, 2003)

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Microbiological Characteristic

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1.4
Microbiological characteristics of
Wastewater
• The environmental engineer must have considerable
knowledge of the
• biological of waste water because it is a very important
characteristics
• factor in wastewater treatment.
• The Engineer should know:-
• 1. The principal groups of microorganisms found in
wastewater.
• 2. The pathogenic organisms.
• 3. Indicator organisms (indicate the – presence of pathogens).
• 4. The methods used to amount the microorganisms.
• 5. The methods to evaluate the toxicity of treated wastewate

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Main groups of Microorganisms:-
• The main microorganisms of
concern in wastewater treatment
are Bacteria, Fungi, Algae,
Protozoa, Viruses, and pathogenic
microorganisms groups.

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1. Bacteria
• Types: Spheroid, rod curved rod, spiral,
filamentous. Some important bacteria:-

i. Pseudomonas: reduce NO3 to N2, So it is very important

in biological nitrate removal in treatment works.
ii. Zoogloea: helps through its slime production in the
formation of flocs in the aeration tanks.
iii. Sphaerotilus natuns: Causes sludge bulking in the
aeration tanks.
iv. Bdellovibrio: destroy pathogens in biological treatment.
v. Acinetobacter: Store large amounts of phosphate under
aerobic conditions and release it under an anaerobic
condition so, they are useful in phosphate removal.
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Pseudomonas Zoogloea Sphaerotilus natuns

Bdellovibrio Acinetobacter
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vi. Nitrosomonas: transform NH4 into NO2-
vii. Nitrobacter: transform NO2- to NO3-
viii. Coliform bacteria:-The most common type is E-Coli or
Echerichia Coli, (indicator for the presence of
pathogens).
E-Coli is measured in (No/100mL)

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Nitrosomonas Nitrobacter Coliform bacteria

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2. Fungi:
Important in decomposing organic matter to simple forms.

3. Algae:
Cause eutrophication phenomena. (negative effect)
Useful in oxidation ponds. (positive effect)
Cause taste and problems when decayed. (negative
effect)

4. Protozoa:
Feed on bacteria so they help in the purification of
treated waste water.
Some of them are pathogenic.

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Fungi Algae Protozoa

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 5. Viruses:
• Viruses are a major hazard to public health. Some
viruses can live as long as
41 days in water and wastewater at 20ºC. They
cause lots of dangerous diseases.

6. Pathogenic organisms:
The main categories of pathogens are:-
Bacteria, Viruses, protozoa, helminthes

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